That would have been my response if I were California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who finds herself in the middle of a media dustup after President Obama introduced her as: “by far the best-looking attorney general in the country,” at a fundraiser earlier this week. Harris is a beautiful woman. She’s also super intelligent and accomplished, which the president also noted. In fact, he lauded her professional merits first. So, I say take the compliment and move on. Or, if you’re slightly embarrassed by the comment, give it back and move on. President Obama’s observation is not a major offense to women around the globe. Ridiculous flaps such as this one have always made me uncomfortable with calling myself a feminist, especially if that means I have to fly into a fit each time a man makes an awkward comment about a woman.

Clearly, the president realized in hindsight that his comment didn’t go over very well, and he has apologized. But I don’t believe an apology was necessary. It’s impossible to believe that anyone could seriously call President Obama a chauvinist over this banter between friends. No matter your politics, you will have a hard time finding a president who has included women more in his agenda. What has he done for us lately? Let me recall just a few things: Appointed two female Supreme Court justices, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Appointed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored worker protections against pay discrimination. The bill had failed in the Senate in 2007.

Reid Epstein: President Barack Obama’s got a volunteer army — and all their marching orders come from carefully organized paid generals back at headquarters.

Obama won two terms by harnessing a grassroots movement through a tightly controlled, top-down campaign organization. Now the group formed out of Organizing for America is now bringing that approach to Organizing for Action.

It’s what differentiates OFA from other grassroots groups, and even the Democratic National Committee: they’re combining large-dollar donations and unpaid local leaders for a carefully built, lasting structure that they believe will be just as effective in supporting the president as it was in electing him.

So far, OFA has alternated its agenda – a week on gun control, then a week on immigration, with some connection to Obama’s White House schedule. Starting next week, OFA will for the first time run concurrent national campaigns on gun control and immigration, blasting emails to supporters and holding local events

Surrounded by members of Congress, signing the Lilly Ledbetter Bill, Jan, 2009

*****

In Defense Of Barack Obama’s Kamala Harris ‘Best Looking’ Comment

Angela Rye: I have never labeled myself as a feminist, but I wholeheartedly support the parity of the sexes particularly as it relates to justice, and fairness. The values listed are those shared very clearly by President Barack Obama—as evidenced by his words and more importantly, his actions. Let’s start with the very first piece of legislation ever signed into law by the 44th president—the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. He went on to establish the White House Council on Women and Girls. Most recently, the president signed a re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act. And remember, the president’s two appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States were also women.

The president was inspired to ensure parity in the health care system because of the challenges his motherfaced with ovarian cancer. The president lovingly called his wife the “closer” during the 2008 campaign because of the critical role she played and now, as first lady, she continues to address some of the most important policy issues of our time. The president has openly stated that his daughters have everything to do with his evolution on gay marriage. The president has a cabinet full (not just binders, but actual appointments) of women and one of his closest advisors is Valerie Jarrett, among many other key White House personnel. Needless to say, the president is influenced by women personally, professionally and politically.

Ambassador Susan Rice conducted an interview with Andrea Mitchell and she was great. She discussed North Korea, the Middle East, and Women’s Rights. She was wonderful in pushing back against Mitchell’s erroneous claims about President Obama and his white house being hostile towards women. This is a must watch interview.

The People’s View: Dejavu. Once again, both the Republican right and the inconsolable whiny Left have found common ground over just how much they hate President Obama. Neither like the president’s upcoming budget – or at least the reporting on the upcoming budget. Why not? Well, because it looks like the President is going to propose a compromise that neither side’s ideologues are going to like (surprise!).

The president’s budget, it’s being reported, will include both revenue increases by closing tax loopholes for the rich and the use of Chained CPI to calculate the cost of living adjustments under Social Security. John Boehner seems to be grasping for a drink and complaining loudly that the president is being a meanie by asking the super rich and the corporate behemoths to pay their fair share. And the Left? They can barely contain the traitor-drum:

I have explained this before. The President’s proposal would create a minimum baseline for Social Security benefits so that no one who works their whole life has to live in poverty in retirement. The minimum benefit would be above the poverty line, for the first time fulfilling the promise of Social Security to end elderly poverty and actually boosting benefits for the lowest wage workers, which the protectors of the Entitlement Status Quo are effectively against. The president’s proposal would also boost benefits at age 85, making sure the people most at risk of running out of their savings are taken care of. Let me say that again: for those in the greatest need, the president’s proposal would increase benefits.

The Left’s Math Problem: The Truth About “Cumulative” Social Security Benefits

The People’s View: Yes, yes, this will be another post on Chained CPI. But a little more dry. This is about the math. Previously, we have discussed why Chained CPI isn’t actually a cut in benefits, what different it makes in the calculations of the cost of living adjustments, and why in the context of broader reforms and progressive social investments, it’s worth doing. But what we haven’t talked about in very explicit terms is what the minor reductions in COLA will end up adding up to. The scaremongerers are very interested in exploiting this. They arevery interested in scaring people with numbers about how much they will lose.

Take the AARP’s “How much you will lose calculator,” for example. Did you know that if you are a retiree with an average $15,190 in benefit today, over the next 30 years you will lose $20,000 in benefits? Wow. Talk about catfood, right? Somebody stop that conniving bastard Obama! I mean, right?

Giving context to scary numbers: Actually, there’s a lot of funny math going on here. First, the 30-year math completely ignores that President Obama is proposing to boost benefits for the oldest beneficiaries, at age 85. But let’s play along. $20,000 out of how much? The context is to define this “cut” they are talking about with respect to currently scheduled benefits. We can use total benefits in nominal dollars under current methods of COLA. So let’s work out those numbers. Let’s use AARP’s own calculations

FLOTUS, get down with your bad self. Seeing her with the pocket book it makes me think of the time she was on Kelly and Michael Show and she said she doesn’t carry anything in her pocket books. When you see her with one it is empty.

Thanks to PBO, we’ve now got a true military man and patriot at the Pentagon helm :
“Ashton Carter, the current deputy secretary of defense, advocated bombing North Korea seven years ago when he was safely in his bunker at Harvard University.”

Morning, Cookemom! You sure know how to push the guilt button! I’ve been up for more than 4 hours and actually put on my exercise clothing but never did get around to starting. I hesitated right and left, wandered into the kitchen, made a pot of tea and before I knew it ;) made and had a HUGE breakfast, prepared stuff for supper later, then tidied the kitchen. I didn’t want to seem too eager to be online so I read for a bit and having forgotten about exercise, open the village door to be met with this. I guess I was SUPPOSED to do my exercise today. Oh well, maybe tomorrow, before I eat. :grin:

CBS Sunday Morning just did a beautiful segment on Jackie Robinson and the movie, “42”, with interviews of Rachel Robinson and many of the key figures in her husband’s story, a clip of the First Lady speaking at the WH movie event, plus many moving clips from the movie. Had me very teary. It would be very worthwhile to post that segment here if it becomes available. Inspiring. That movie is indeed a must see.

Yes, it’s the best—–on Sunday morning and beyond. They cover a wide range of subjects and make every subject interesting. Always well done. Their programming reflects depth and substance, 2 qualities sorely lacking in most of the rest of TV land.

I think all this stupid stuff over the President’s very nice compliment to Kamala Harris is ginned up because, hard as they have tried, they can find no scandals in his life with which to impugn him, and bring a case for impeachment. They will continue to gin up “controversy” because there is nothing they can get him on. They always come out looking stupid, and he wins again.
Notice, Gloria Steinem, the ultimate feminist and PBO supporter did not come out with any stupid hair on fire statement about this? She has feminist bona fides and knows what the President has done and is doing for women. She is not stupid, and thinks before she speaks.
To be called the best looking anything by this president would be a compliment beyond measure, and I’m sure Kamala Harris felt that way before the stink arose.

A man suffered a serious heart attack while shopping in a store.
The store clerk called 911 when they saw him collapse to the floor.

The paramedics rushed the man to the nearest hospital where he had emergency
open heart bypass surgery.

He awakened from the surgery to find himself in the care of nuns at the
Catholic hospital. A nun was seated next to his bed holding a clipboard
loaded with several forms, and a pen. She asked him how he was going to
pay for his treatment.

“Do you have health insurance?” she asked.

He replied in a raspy voice, “No health insurance.”

The nun asked, “Do you have money in the bank?”

He replied, “No money in the bank.”

Do you have a relative who could help you with the payments?”
asked the irritated nun.

He said, “I only have a spinster sister, and she is a nun.”

The nun became agitated and announced loudly, “Nuns are not spinsters!
Nuns are married to God.”

Good Morning to all…still working on chasing those pesky squirrels away….something is wrong with this picture(again in my life)…went to Lowes, spent $70 on landscaping fabric(to keep birdseed from sprouting), squirrel baffel, wd 40 to spray pole, plastic thingy to put on top of birdfeeder so squirrels will fall off, and pansies and snapdragons to plant in pots underneath birdfeeder to make people forget how tacky the bird feeder actually looks.By the way, thought Ed Shultz started this weekend….all I got was Lockup or something……..and another question which is completely random and off topic and to which you might spit your coffee on your screens, but I am curious……..do you ever wonder if MHP and Beyonce’s tight braids give them headaches?…..if I put my hair in a french twist, I suffer all day.

Squirrel solution—–I have 2 caged bird feeders like this—-squirrel proof—–unless they get really desperate and attempt some unbelievable acrobatic moves and hang upside down to get the seed which has dropped into the trays. I also throw out some nuts for my squirrel friends occasionally—-the nuts my people friends leave behind in the nut can. They are then most grateful and leave the feeders alone. We have a deal.http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/RTProduct.asp?SKU=WDL-WLC6S

thanks Dot….have seen those but thought perhaps those pesky critters would just stick their “arms” in…can a bird as large as a cardinal feed?….The thistle feeders for finches are OK, squirrels don’t bother them but having trouble with sunflower feeders…….I’m trying to focus on other problems beside “compliment gate”, “budget gate”, “NC gate”, and all the other important issues of the day that just make my blood pressure rise…..Remember when PBO said it was silly season in politics?….Well, I think silly season has become a year round event.

For those of you with some time today, it’s worth your time to revisit this NYT article published about a week after the Tucson massacre. It really captures Gabby’s spirit, providing background on her remarkable life as a third generation Jew in the Anglo west of Arizona.

She embodies the intelligence and vigor all Americans should wish for their daughters.

Media should focus on what an accomplished woman Gabby is, not who she’s married to (although I LOVE Capt. Mark, grateful for his steadfast love and loyalty). MSM seem to equate accomplishment to “what college did you go to” or “who did your father/mother know.”

Good morning, TODville. Haven’t commented here in a while because the lefty trolls on twitter are keeping me busy on Chained CPI. Geesh. There’s no difference between a teabagger and a firebagger. None. Can we stop saying we’re the smart ones? It’s a fine line. Okay. Enjoy your day. Back to twitter. Oh, P.S. – Thanks to thepeoplesview.net. That site is as important to my sanity as TOD. Love to all..

and on another note…..Do you ever wonder and question where your views and values came from?…….My sister and I had a long discussion about it….I graduated high school 61 and she 68…..I was more aware of Vietnam war stuff than civil rights or school integration(I was more a hippy dippy person) and her graduating class was integrated with no big deal problems(she was more preppy than me)….our Grandmother who helped rear us did not have a racist bone in her body and was a strong feminist but we just knew that, it was never discussed…our mother was ambigious at best about any subject, and our Daddy was a Jesse Helms devotee….so how did we become who we are?….Most of our high school and college friends became rabid Republicans yet we did not and it’s not something we ever discussed before PBO….it just was……..is it environment or are you just born predisposed to your views and values? Except for squirrels, I have always been a tolerant person.

Six Americans, including three civilians, killed in attacks in Afghanistan http://wapo.st/Z031jO The 25yr. old “American diplomat killed Saturday was identified as Anne Smedinghoff by her parents. Smedinghoff was recently tasked with assisting Secretary of State John F. Kerry on his trip to Kabul.”

amazing how the guys answer him directly and clearly, and this “reporter” still can’t accept that president obama comes up with his own stuff. america’s first black president needs to hire “sharp” white guys in their 20s and 30s to “feed him lines”?!? the racism is strong in that guy.

Thank you, Meta! I love how both Pfeiffer and Favreau both jumped in to give credit to the president for coming up with his own lines! And JonFavs is one of my favs. He’s from the town next to mine in Mass. too! Local hero! :-)

Which will probably increase the emoprog’s frustration with Democrats. I predict lots of whining about “not paying attention to the base” in the future. They’ll just wave aside the minor quibble that they aren’t the base. :roll:

” Radiation from Japan’s nuclear disaster is being looked at as one possible cause for what some experts are declaring an “unusual mortality event” after hundreds of ailing sea lion pups washed ashore in Southern California.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has assembled a team that includes biologists, veterinarians and public health officials, among others.”

Who ever the hell Ken is, I love him because I have said the same thing.Those who kept their behinds home and didn’t get out to vote in 2010, you are the reason the Tea Party Republicans took control of the House. And ladies and gentlemen the rest is history. So when those people want to do their empty hateful talking about blaming POTUS for having to try to deal with creeps like Boehner, look in the mirror and they will see who’s to fault.

Morning all. Happy Sunday! Thanks for all the good reads this morning, UT!!! Let me just weigh in on the newest NON ISSUE of the compliment paid to AG Harris….seriously? I’m old enough to say that I was around at the advent of the women’s movement. Bella Abzug and Gloria Steinem years….the MOST important thing about feminism doesn’t have anything to do with things like this compliment, but more to do with feeling comfortable in your own skin and owning who you are and your accomplishments. Understanding that nothing and no one can define who you are and what you are capable of accomplishing with your life. The dust up about this silliness, especially from youngsters that weren’t even BORN during the modern feminist movement ( there were many other women earlier than our time that blazed a path of their own) I find offensive…as usual, they have no idea what they’re talking about and ignore the reality that IS PBO! Yesterday’s thread (Misogynist) is just another “in your face” reminder that his actions…speak louder than their hollow words. I really doubt that PBO is losing any sleep over this one, but the mere fact that he felt he had to apologize for his compliment…..shows me that we still have far to go.

I got my plants yesterday…I need to actually plant them today:) Welcome to the lurkers that jumped in here today…I’ve seen a few new faces added to the TOD family. Nice:)

As a person who has fought for the rights of marginalized women for all of my adult life, I am really tired of the women who are always giving feminism a bad name by focusing on trial issues.

During this week’s nonsense re compliment-gate, I decided to call them out as the “trivially-outraged-feminist-brigade” because they demonstrated that they could care less for real issues that people are facing.

by focusing on this nonsense, they blocked out PBO’s message as he tried to make voters re-focus on policies to reduce gun violence.

I know the harm guns do to so many real people and I have yet to find a woman who died from receiving a complement – priorities, priorities!!!

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy (D) tore into the National Rifle Association during an appearance on CNN’s State Of The Union on Sunday. The NRA this week introduced its legislative response to the massacre in Malloy’s home state. Its plan focuses on arming school staff.
Malloy specifically called out NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre for his absolute opposition to commonsense gun regulations, including the new gun law just enacted by Connecticut. After watching a clip of LaPierre mocking Connecticut’s new law, Malloy shot back, “Wayne reminds me of the clowns at the circus. They get the most attention”:

snip/

This guy is so out of whack, it’s unbelievable. 92% of the american people want universal background checks. I can’t get on a plane as the Governor of the state of Connecticut without somebody running a background check on me. Why should you be able to buy a gun? Or buy armor-piercing munitions? It doesn’t make any sense. He doesn’t make any sense. Thus my reference to the circus.[…]
Bring it back to reality. Why are they against universal background checks when 92% of the American public is in favor of them? If they can’t answer that question — and they can’t, Candy — What this is about is the ability of the gun industry to sell as many guns to as many people as possible even if they’re deranged, even if they’re mentally ill, evening if they have a criminal background, they don’t care. They want to sell guns.

Pretty well, in that each day I have less pain to manage, but with my new-found ‘resting discipline’, I am really taking it easier. Funny thing, tho, it almost seems the less I do, the less I feel like doing…. I guess I am one of those A-types: grew up on a small farm where we always had chores; and over these past few years, I have lost interest in television, so that time-filler (time-waster) feature is non-existent in my life….. I think when I started my own business in 2007, I just threw myself into making sure it was a success, and kind of forgot to have a life outside work. I suspect it is a price many self-employed find they pay for the honor and privilege of working for themselves, and being good at it! It will be interesting to see where this will lead…. haven’t had this kind of down-time since before Denea was born, almost 27 years ago. That’s a long time, eh?

I so hear you. Building our own career takes a great deal of energy, commitment and belief. But I think it takes great discipline to be still, quiet. And healing seems to require a lot of that. I know how hard that can be, as you say. I’m so accustomed to multi-tasking that I don’t even know I’m doing it. But it’s so important to do the best we can to take care of all the various needs in our lives in some sort of balanced way. It’s a constant lesson.

dotster3, let me thank you. I don’t watch any of the Sunday morning shows, so some times I miss something like this clip about Jackie Robinson. I really thought of our POTUS and FLOTUS when during watching the clip they said something about no matter how Jackie and Rachel were treated they had to hold their peace. I have got to see that movie, 42.

Thank you so much for the link. Little side note for us old western movie buffs. That was Gabby Hayes the epitome of the ornery cuss sitting next to Rachel Robinson at about 1:55. Rachel said Gabby was a great friend to her and Jackie.

prettyfoot58, I agree with you. I detest people like Ben Carson and Clarence Thomas. It’s like what POTUS and FLOTUS says, when you have made it, you don’t close the door , you turn and and help someone else make it. Carson and Thomas has cross that bridge, they used the system to make it, now they want to burn that same bridge they used to make it.

Dr Carson….stood on the shoulders of many people in order to reach his achievement…that is not to say that he did not struggle to get there…but he did not make that journey on his own…

Black Folks have a legacy of struggle born out of our desire to be free…our fight for economic equality and against racial injustice…so to talk about being a Conservative Black Hope is ludicrous…if by conservative you mean GOP politics..

being a so-called Blk Conservative in the GOP is like handing someone a knife to slit your throat…IMO

A guide to Dan Pfeiffer’s Sunday show appearances
By JENNIFER EPSTEIN | 4/7/13 12:01 PM EDT
White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer made two Sunday morning talk show appearances and ran through a string of administration priorities and hot topics.

Appearing on “Fox News Sunday” and ABC’s “This Week,” Pfeiffer discussed North Korea, the budget, guns and immigration reform, staying on message with the discipline of a former White House communications director.

On North Korea, Pfeiffer said the administration is “absolutely not” yielding to pressure by postponing a missile test that had been scheduled for this week. But the White House “wouldn’t be surprised” to see Pyongyang carry out its own launch in the coming days.

On the budget, Pfeiffer called on Republicans to give a little. “What this president will not do is come in — right after getting reelected — and enact the Romney economic plan,” he said. If regular order doesn’t work, President Obama will try to forge a “common sense caucus” to get something done.

On guns, Pfeiffer scolded some members of the Senate GOP for turning their backs on the victims of the Newtown shooting by threatening to filibuster a vote. “Now that the cameras are off and they’re not forced to look the Newtown families in the face, now they want to make it harder and filibuster,” he said. Pfeiffer also acknowledged that the White House had put forward an “ideal package” on guns, knowing not all of its proposals would pass.

On immigration, Pfeiffer avoided answering questions about whether the president would sign a bill that included a “trigger” on border protection that would have to be achieved before a pathway to citizenship could be enacted.

Apparently parts of this article are wrong….it would not pertain to out of state students unless the parents pay NC state taxes…it is only for in state NC students and it is taking away the child deduction($2,500) for NC state taxes…the R’s can’t make it apply to federal taxes…..still…pretty awful isn’t it?…….although, if you think about it, it will probably bring pain to as many Republican families as Dems and Independents….which just might come back and bite R’s in power……I know some of those R students vote Dem b/c of gay marriage, abortion and contraception……and I’m sure that there are more than 21 votes from R parents, with kids in college, in this state in that SOB’s district. The rest of the article is correct.